VP motions judge to inhibit

The supposed arraignment of Vice President Sara Duterte before Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 Judge Maria Angelica P. De Ramos on Friday was deferred after her lawyers filed a motion asking the judge to inhibit from hearing the three counts of grave threats against their client.

Atty. Angelo del Mundo, clerk of court of QC-RTC Branch 98, said the arraignment was deferred due to a “pending incident.”

“(The pending incident) is that her lawyers filed a motion last night (10 September) via email asking the judge to inhibit from the case,” Del Mundo told the Daily Tribune after the proceedings.

Del Mundo, however, could not disclose the reason Duterte’s camp was seeking De Ramos’ inhibition from the case.

“The judge prohibited me from divulging,” he said, but hinted that the prosecution was given five days to comment before De Ramos should decide whether to inhibit or not.

The court, however, tentatively moved the arraignment to 9 October.

The Vice President arrived around 8:30 a.m. for her scheduled arraignment, accompanied not by her husband, Mans Carpio, but by her elder brother, Davao 1st District Representative Paolo Zimmerman Duterte, and her lawyers.